Academic success in rural America - Family background and community integration

Communities of farm families share unique support and resources; does community integration promote children's academic success, even in a rural region suffering a depressed agricultural economy? This study examines the academic success of children from farm and non-farm families in the rural Midwest of the United States. Children from farm families show the highest levels of academic performance, owing largely to the high levels of parental involvement and leadership in the local community. Parents who farm part-time have less time to be active in the community; nevertheless, their children retain the benefits of the community ties that were developed when the family farmed full-time.